Spectacular Pegula clinches WTA Finals semifinal place with impressive victory over Sabalenka

Jessica Pegula defeated Aryna Sabalenka 6-4, 6-3 and secured her spot in the semifinals of the WTA Finals.

The Belarusian tennis player faced her first challenge with an outstanding performance, winning 6-0, 6-1 against Maria Sakkari. She had the opportunity to secure the world No. 1 ranking at the end of the year if she defeated Pegula. The American also had a strong performance in her first match, defeating the inconsistent Elena Rybakina 7-5, 6-2.

In the first set, Sabalenka struggled with her serve but managed to save the first two break opportunities her opponent had. With the score at 2-2, Pegula won three consecutive games, including two breaks, to go 5-2 ahead with the serve in her favor to close out the set. Sabalenka made a slight comeback, recovering one break and holding her serve but Pegula ultimately capitalized on her advantage, taking the first set 6-4.

Both players had a 70% first serve percentage and won 67% of their first serves, but there was a significant difference in their second serve performance. Pegula won 67% of her second serves, while Sabalenka only won 22%.

The second set was a nightmare for Sabalenka as she quickly lost her service twice in a row and only managed to win three of the first 20 points in the set. Pegula took a 4-0 lead, and although Sabalenka showed some resistance by winning a service game to love and later pressing her opponent with a break point, she couldn't convert it.

Despite Sabalenka's improved performance in the latter part of the set, Pegula remained dominant and capitalized on her opponent's errors. The 2023 Australian Open champion managed to secure a break that could have brought her back into the match, she ended up conceding her service once again. Without taking too many risks, the American won the match 6-4, 6-3 against a Sabalenka who was far from her level two days ago.

The Belarusian had the opportunity to secure the world No. 1 ranking with a victory but will have to wait for her final match against Elena Rybakina. For now, Iga Swiatek can still dream of regaining the top spot in the rankings if she wins the tournament undefeated and Sabalenka loses to Rybakina.

In the second match of the day, Elena Rybakina will face Maria Sakkari. Both players are coming off losses in their first match and are in a must-win situation if they want to advance in the tournament.